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Winnipeg Free Press
25 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The path to new purpose for conservatives
Opinion The lazy days of an August summer are upon us. Unless you're a conservative. If so, you are uncharacteristically unnerved. Having lost a provincial byelection in Quebec last week in a seat they hold federally, they are eying two more. A federal byelection on Monday in Battle River-Crowfoot, Alta. and a provincial one two weeks later in Spruce Woods, Man. Two reliable, deep blue seats are being watched as harbingers of those parties' future political fortunes. Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre will not lose his bid to regain a seat in the House of Commons in the safest CPC seat in the country. His predecessor racked up 83 per cent of the vote in the April election. It's why he chose this seat – as sure a thing as you can get in politics – to smooth his way back into Parliament after his stunning loss in his long-held Carleton, Ont. seat. Spencer Colby /THE CANADIAN PRESS Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters outside West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, May 15, 2025. It is unlikely, but not impossible, that the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba will lose its own safe seat in rural Manitoba. Even in the depths of the electoral meltdown wrought by former premier Heather Stefanson two years ago, their candidate won 62 per cent of the vote. Margins matter in politics. Which is why the margin of victory – or loss – will be watched first in both these byelections. In usual times, neither byelection would matter a whit. But these are unusual times for both parties. They are running against themselves as much as against their governing opponents who are proving durably popular and resilient to electoral challenge. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew would win re-election in a cakewalk right now. Which raises a big question for each conservative party – who are you? Votes measure a party's appeal. But relevance to voters is what drives that appeal. These two conservative parties are relevant to a declining minority of voters. Federal Conservatives showed up late to the most important issue on voters' minds – Trump – in the last election, and they paid the price. They've since seen their policies snatched and repackaged by a newly centrist federal Liberal government. And the vituperative temper and tone they are used to is out-of-step for today's times. Manitoba Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, are reeling from a deeper election loss than they understand. The NDP government didn't need to resort to stealing PC policies to boost their appeal. Offering a moderate, pragmatic government with a positive face to voters has done the trick. The PCs have since chosen a friendly-face leader too. But this will not paper over profound fissures in the party's brand and appeal, as the fractured leadership results showed with the losing candidate winning more votes but losing on constituency points. Plus, the party continues to fight a rearguard battle against their egregious leadership behaviour both during the campaign and after, during transition. Squaring their debit account with voters will not occur until they square their own account with themselves. In truth, both parties are warring inside. They may decry identity politics, but each is struggling with identifying what kind of conservative they really are. Poilievre is moving to the left, embracing nationalist and union doctrines once solely propagated by the NDP. In the past two weeks, he came out in favour of the Air Canada flight attendant union's demands and called for the rescinding of a contract given to a Chinese firm by B.C. Ferries to build four new ferries even though that would cost more and take longer. While this may be chalked up as fishing for loose left-wing votes from a flatlining federal NDP, the conservative response to Maritime provincial governments banning access to forests and woods to try to prevent more wildfires, shows the real conservative schism. A divide between libertarian populism versus conservative communitarianism. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Community has long been a part of conservative thought and ideals. Former federal PC leader and prime minister Joe Clark once called Canada 'a community of communities.' The famously influential American conservative, Russell Kirk, set out 10 conservative principles including this one: 'conservatives uphold voluntary community, quite as they oppose involuntary collectivism.' He described this as flowing from local community decision-making. So long as these decisions are '… kept local and are marked by the general agreement of those affected, they constitute healthy community.' And are conservative. In Canada, that sounds a lot like federalism. But libertarian populists, hyperventilated by COVID pandemic rules and mandates, argue local decisions taken by local authorities are really an unabashed overreach by governments to trample individual rights. It is more than a little ironic when libertarian populism takes on the guise of centralizing authoritarianism in the name of protecting individual liberties. Classic conservatives seek balance in society. They are prudent, recognizing the value of permanence in key institutions and values, while recognizing and reconciling needed societal change. Conservatives understand there exists a public good. There is a greater purpose that transcends the individual even while promoting freedom for the individual to live and achieve as they see fit. Community, based on family, fits into this notion nicely. If conservative parties wish to regain purpose and trust with voters, they need to confront and expel the demon of libertarian populism, ravaging their parties from the inside out. David McLaughlin is a former clerk of the executive council and cabinet secretary in the Manitoba government.
Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Politics Insider: A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let's look at what happened this week. Set against the backdrop of a rising tide of Alberta separatism, Monday's closely watched by-election in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot will help decide the political fate of Conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre. As Emma Graney reports from the Alberta city of Camrose, a win would be Poilievre's ticket back to Parliament. There, he can finally debate Prime Minister Mark Carney, rather than sitting on the sidelines where he was relegated to after his bruising April loss to the Liberals in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton. A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre, however. He is set to face a leadership review in January, after his party failed to win the spring general election despite a strong lead in the polls throughout 2024. But if history is anything to go by, his first steps back to Parliament Hill seem to be on solid ground. Battle River-Crowfoot, with a population of around 110,000 people, is one of Canada's safest Conservative ridings; its former MP, Damien Kurek, won with almost 83 per cent of the vote, then gave up his seat to trigger the by-election. Meanwhile, the union representing Air Canada flight attendants has rejected the airline's proposal for binding arbitration. Dayne Patterson reports that the decision leaves bargaining suspended as time winds down toward an impending strike deadline early Saturday. The airline and the Air Canada Component of CUPE have been in contract negotiations for months over an agreement for more than 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants. Both sides have blamed the other for stalled negotiations and misinformation about offers on the table. The main sticking points have been wages and time for hours worked. Federal budget watchdog has `no idea' who successor will be despite term ending next month: Yves Giroux, who took on the job in 2018, will mark his final day on Sept. 2, and says he's reached out to the Privy Council Office multiple times for information over the past few months. Trump, Putin meet in Alaska as `high-stakes' summit on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire begins: The pair launched their meeting with a warm handshake today, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. Ontario government orders public servants back to office five days a week: .'The return to a five days per week in-workplace standard represents the current workforce landscape in the province,' Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney said in a statement Ottawa has duty to ensure welfare of Canadians in ICE custody, advocates say: The calls come after revelations that Canadian children as young as two years old have been held for weeks in immigration detention this year. Mark Mulroney to join CIBC as global vice-chair: The son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney and his wife, Mila, is leaving his current job as a vice-chair at Bank of Nova Scotia to take on the new assignment on Nov. 17. Prime Minister's Week: Mark Carney was in the National Capital Region and surrounding area this week for what his office described as a reduced schedule to reflect a brief period of local vacation. On Monday, his office reported that Carney spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Russia's invasion. Also, Carney spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. And he participated in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on support for Ukraine, co chaired by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelensky and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance were also in the meeting. Carney constituency office: Carney was elected MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Nepean in the April federal election. But as The Ottawa Citizen has reported, he has not yet set up a constituency office. Emily Williams, media-relations director for the PMO, said in a statement that the process is under way to confirm an office that meets all security requirements and is conveniently located and accessible for constituents. In the meantime, constituents are being directed, either virtually or in person, to the constituency office of David McGuinty, the defence minister, and long-time MP for the neighbouring riding of Ottawa South. Political Break: The House of Commons is not sitting for the summer. It will resume on Sept. 15. The Senate will sit again on Sept. 23. MPs in the Summer: As part of this weekly summer edition of the newsletter, we are checking in with MPs on what they are up to while the Commons is on break. This week, the focus is on New Democrat Gord Johns, the member for the Vancouver Island riding of Courtenay-Alberni. From the city of Port Alberni, Johns has been witness to the Mount Underwood wildfire. However, he says there is little for an MP to do but use social media to share emergency-management information from local and provincial officials. 'I was born and raised on Vancouver Island and I have never seen anything like it ever. We've had fires, but not at this scale. Two years ago, we had Cameron Lake, which shut our highway down multiple times over the summer. It was extremely frustrating for local residents and deeply alarming. People are triggered from that. But this is much more scary. This is much closer to people's homes. 'I'm looking out my kitchen window. The fire is nine kilometres away from my house right now. It looks like an atomic bomb went off. There's always a chance it could head towards our community. It's 32 degrees Celsius right now. It's dry. This is a large fire and it's moving quickly. We're grateful the wind is moving the fire away from our community, but the wind could change in a heartbeat. 'The smoke is now coming into our community. It was blowing the other way, but now it's coming in rapidly as we're talking now. It smells really bad. It's heavy smoke. Half an hour ago, that wasn't the case. 'Everybody has got a Go Bag. I've got a flashlight. I've got my clothes. I've got water, food, blankets. My car is like a Go Bag normally. I'm a rural MP. My daughter laughed. She said, `You've got a Go Bag. It's your car.' ' This interview has been edited and condensed. New diplomats: Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has announced three new diplomatic appointments. Details here. Which prominent provincial politician co-founded Air Transat? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. As the democratic world lines up behind Jimmy Lai, Canadian leadership is badly needed Why I added my name to the long ballot in Pierre Poilievre's by-election Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@ Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop. The answer to today's question: Ahead of entering provincial politics, Quebec Premier François Legault co-founded Air Transat in 1986, Until 1997, Legault was the company's chief executive officer. He was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1998. Legault has been premier since 2018, leading his Coalition Avenir Québec party.
11 hours ago
Carney to visit Mexico next month as both countries navigate tense U.S. relations
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit Mexico next month as the countries try to navigate trade relations with the United States. Both Mexico and Canada have been subject to tariffs and tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump since he was re-elected last fall. Trump upped tariffs on Canadian non-CUSMA-compliant goods to 35 per cent earlier this month, but exempted Mexico for now — prompting questions about the different approach to the two countries. Canada attempted to reach some sort of agreement on tariffs by Aug. 1. But Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, said a viable deal wasn't on table by that deadline. Trump gave Mexico a 90-day extension of its current tariff regime with the goal of signing a new deal during that period. Carney's visit to Mexico is scheduled to take place on Sept. 18. The trip was first reported by Bloomberg News. Since his election, Carney has said he wants to expand relations with other countries to avoid being reliant on the U.S. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said they were kickstarting a bilateral economic relationship with Mexico during a visit to the country's capital last week. WATCH | What Canadian goods are covered by 35% U.S. tariffs?: Début du widget . Passer le widget? Fin du widget . Retour au début du widget? While Canada and Mexico are partners in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), they haven't collaborated together as much as with their shared neighbour. And the two countries haven't always been in harmony during previous trade negotiations, at times prioritizing their relationship with the U.S. Enlarge image (new window) Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, left, and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, right, met Sheinbaum, centre, in Mexico City last week. Photo: Claudia Sheinbaum/X With Mexico, we are neighbours but we could get to know each other better, Champagne told reporters during last week's visit. Anand said the two countries were also looking into port-to-port lines of trade. On Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Carney and his government for not landing a deal with either the U.S. or Mexico, saying the prime minister has shown weakness on the international stage. Mark Carney promised that he was an international man of mystery who was going to negotiate deals and end tariffs. Well, what's the result been so far? Poilievre said during a news conference. The Conservative leader also pointed to China slapping tariffs on Canadian canola as another example of the Liberals floundering when it comes to trade. Countries smell weakness. Mark Carney has been failing, he said. CUSMA review on the horizon Carney's visit also comes as a CUSMA review is rapidly approaching. The trade deal — which was signed in 2018 and came into effect in 2020 — is up for review next year. While CUSMA-compliant goods are exempt from Trump's 35 per cent tariffs, the U.S. president has hit certain Canadian goods — such as softwood lumber, steel, aluminum and some auto parts — with further import levies, whether they fall under the trade agreement's umbrella or not. Although the review isn't scheduled until July 2026, there have been questions about the possibility of it starting early. WATCH | What could come from the trade talks? Début du widget . Passer le widget? Fin du widget . Retour au début du widget? Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned last week that Trump could choose to suddenly pull the carpet out from underneath us by opening up CUSMA as early as this fall. Let's be prepared. I think it'll be coming in November. He's going to come at us with double barrels, so we better be ready and throw everything and the kitchen sink at this, Ford told reporters last week. LeBlanc has tried to temper concerns that the unpredictable president would trigger an early review. The minister said earlier this spring (new window) that he has no reason to think Trump would push up the timeline.
